A New Threat Arises
by Cartega
Summary: Plague, Pitch's older brother has appeared, and the Guardians need help. The Man in the Moon chooses a new Guardian, one that Jack isn't too happy about. When the new guardian is missing, the five must embark on a dangerous journey to find her. Set one year after the movie. Maybe JackXOC, maybe. Read and Review
1. Chapter 1

Freezing and trapped, that's the first thing that I remember. I was in a large, black birdcage. There seemed to be no way out. I was in some kind of cave. It was pitch black except for a ray of moonlight, and it filled me with hope. It was shining directly in my face, until it moved towards a single bar of the cage. I grasped the dark metal in my hand, and I felt it loosen. For the rest of the night, the moon ray stayed there, as if encouraging me to keep loosening the bar that would help me escape. I didn't know why I was here, but I knew that I had to escape. I worked until dawn, until the moon was gone. As it disappeared, the only thing it told me was my name was Persephone Simmons. That was the last thing the moon told me, and that was a long time ago.

The sun pushed through the crevice of the cave and I felt my strength double. The bar finally broke off the cage. To my amazement, It turned a pale yellow in my hand and shrunk to where it fit perfectly in my hand.I took my new scepter and swung it at the door of the cage. It broke open and I discovered I could fly.

I soared out of the cage like a bird and sang like one, too. I flew out of the cave and found the open sky. It was a beautiful light blue, no clouds in sight. I went down to the ground to see where I was. There was a small layer of frost on the ground, but I when i landed, it melted under my feet and new spring grass appeared in its place. A stream was nearby that was frozen solid. I pointed my scepter at it and it unfroze almost immediately. I laughed in delight. A flock of birds appeared out of nowhere and landed on my shoulders and arms. I petted the smallest one, which perched on my wrist. They flew away soon after that. I glanced down at the stream and paused to look at myself.

A pair of green eyes were studying me critically. I blinked, and so did they. I smiled, and I found they danced with mischief and fun when I did. My smile was a nice one, and I had straight, small teeth. I don't know my age, but I know that I still have all my baby teeth. My hair was the color of my scepter. It was a pale yellow- the color of the sun when it first comes up on a soft morning. I looked farther down at the reflection in the stream. I was wearing a pink, short sleeved dress, torn above the knees at different lengths. I looked down to find I was barefoot. I laughed with delight and ran towards a field, waving my scepter above my head and making spring appear.

I climbed a tree that should have been impossible to climb and witnessed the first birth of spring. A robin was hatched. The mother didn't squawk at me, but watched me with her beady eyes, they seemed kind of friendly. I whooped in celebration and flew away.

There had to be someone around here to tell me where I am, and why I was here. I found a little log cabin on the edge of the woods that led to the meadow. There were two little girls playing, enjoying the winter thawing. I waved my scepter and made it disappear. They giggled with joy. I flew down to them, but they didn't seem to notice me at all.

I waved very eagerly, "Hello there!". Nothing, the sisters started making mud pies. I walked over to them and put a hand on my shoulder. They went right through me like I was mist. A blue smokey substance appeared when the older sister followed her sibling. I walked into the cabin to try and find the parents, thoroughly confused. The mother was sitting in a rocking chair, sewing.

Her belly was swollen, and she was saying good naturedly to her husband, "It'll be a spring baby! Won't that be wonderful, Charles!" It made me smile, new life is always best when it happens in spring. Then, I frowned. Wouldn't they be surprised to see someone in their house?

"Hello? Can you see me? Can you hear me?" I yelled.

Charles was cleaning his gun at the small table in the middle of the room and looked up at me. My heart skipped a beat! He noticed me!

"The door opened, how did that happen?" He asked and got up to close it. In the process of doing so, he walked through me. I cried in despair and flew away, wilting the newly budding flowers simultaneously.

I flew away, wondering what I was doing here, and why no one could see me. That had been nearly 150 years ago, and I've discovered a lot about the world, but not about myself.

* * *

I'm one of those legends. You know, like Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny? My legend actually started during the Greek times. No one believes in me anymore. I couldn't even remember the good days, if that was really me. According to the legend, Persephone was the daughter of Demeter, the goddess of the harvest, and she was the goddess of spring. She got kidnapped by the god of the dead, Hades. She was trapped, and Demeter got depressed and that's how late fall and winter happened. Persephone was rescued, but she had to stay with Hades half the year, and that's why fall and winter happen. That part is definitely not true. Jack Frost is in charge of winter and all that junk. I hate winter, it's way too cold! Nothing can grow! Why someone would have that for more than three months is beyond me.

But, anyways, where was I? Oh, yeah, no one believing in me and being alone all the time. After discovering what year it was- 1862, and where I was- the West, Nebraska, to be precise, I wandered around, trying to find someone that could see me. I went almost anywhere, but I always came back to the West of North America, helping struggling farmers raise their crops. I realized that my gift was a blessing, not just a curse. I enjoyed playing with the children, making it warm and sunny so they could come outside. I made mischief with them, sometimes getting them in trouble, but I made sure that they weren't too badly punished by singing.

My voice can make people cheerful, and forget their anger. It reminds people of the joy of spring, and the hope of new life. Parents who are steaming with anger, instead offer to go on a walk with their kid to enjoy the spring air. Pretty cool, if I do say so myself.

The other great part, flowers isn't the only thing that bloom in spring, love does as well. To see two young people strolling and talking about their future hopes and dreams makes not being able to be seen bearable. I can make wonderfully springtime romance bloom. Sometimes, I even set people up. A canopy of roses here, a pleasant boat ride there, and voila, a very happy couple with Spring Fever. It makes Cupid really mad sometimes, but he gets over it because it is, and I quote, "So adorable, he could cry."

I hadn't been searching long, only 30 years or so, when I met Bunnymund, or as he's more commonly known as the Easter Bunny. But he's no fluff ball. He's 6'1 with an Australian accent. I wouldn't want to be on his bad side. It was a frosty, Sunday morning. Seeing him made me realize it must be Easter Sunday. He was muttering about an "annoying impish boy" as he was laying down colorfully painted eggs. He was shivering from the cold. I stared at him, I knew he must be able to see me, and if he couldn't I wouldn't know what to do with myself. If someone whose own existence is doubted can't see me, then I might not exist at all! The possibility had occurred to me before. Maybe I was a spirit that was trapped here. But, no! He stopped in his bent down position and came up slowly, not letting his gaze from me. It looked as if he doubted whether he was really seeing me.

"Hello!" I said, a little nervous, but very excited.

"Crikey! You're really there then," he nodded, "What's a sheila like you doing alone during the holiday?"

"I don't think I'm a normal 'sheila'," I said a little surprised. I waved my scepter and any frost remaining melted and fresh grass replaced it, along with a few small pink and purple flowers.

The Easter Bunny studied me," You're definitely not a normal girl," he agreed, "Can you do me a favor?"

"Got nothing better to do. Can you answer a question first?" I asked.

"I'll try," he replied.

"Do you know who I am, or what I'm doing here?" I asked, craving for knowledge of my past.

"Can't say that I do. What d'you call yourself?" he asked, his ears lowered, showing sympathy towards me.

"Persephone. Persephone Simmons," I told him, "That's all I know."

"Well, tell you what, Persephone, Jack Frost made this day wintery, when clearly this is a spring holiday," Bunnymund said with annoyance.

"Of course it is! Easter is about new life and growth-everything spring is about!" I exclaimed.

"Exactly, and with your gift, you can fix it. That scepter should do the trick. How does it work?"

In reply, I waved it towards a bush covered in a layer of snow dust. It turned a healthy, bright green.

"I can answer at least one of your questions, Sheila. You're here to spread spring," the Easter Bunny said with a caring, half smile. I shot up in the air a few feet due to sheer joy. I finally had a purpose. Spread spring, I thought with glee. I felt a spring breeze and used it to begin my flight. I waved the Sun Scepter, making the frost melt and spring reign. I saw Bunnymund wave a farewell and hop away.

I yelled a farewell, "Thank you! Happy Easter!"

* * *

120 years later, and I'm doing the same thing, but it's just as exciting. My pink dress is now just the top part, and green shorts that go down to the middle of my thighs. They're still ripped, and of course, I'm still barefoot. Why someone would wear shoes is still a mystery to me.

I'm doing my last stop to make it the first day of spring. It's April 1st, and it's the most beautiful day for the beginning of spring. There's not a cloud in the sky, and the sun is shining cheerfully. I feel it's warmth spreading from my outstretched arms to the tips of my toes. I wave the Sun Scepter almost lazily, enjoying the rays. The sun is almost like my power source. Its presence and light make me stronger. I start flying to the final town. I always skip over it and come back to it for last. Why? It's my favorite place to turn spring. Double Why? Jack Frost lives here. He resents my coming as much as his coming to Nebraska in the winter. I love seeing his face when I wave my scepter and make all his precious frost disappear. I smile smugly at the thought.

I approach the town when the wind is freezing. This is not the wind that is the first day of spring. I had so many plans for today: See the first birth of spring, sing to cheer up any downtrodden souls, maybe pair a few teens together. There's only one person that could have made spring not come. My hair turned a dark orange- like when the sun sets, because of my anger. I shot down to the town the fastest ever I've flown.

"Jack Frost!" I roared. There was three feet of snow on the ground, and the children had a snow day. I smiled at them, but my outrage returned quickly. It would take another three before the first day of spring could happen! Grass was growing around me so quickly, it was almost a foot before I realized what was happening. I waved the Sun Scepter towards a snow bank. it went down a few inches, but not by much.

"You know, I haven't seen your hair that orange since the Blizzard of '68," said a cocky voice from behind. I turned around quickly to find Jack Frost, smug as ever in a light blue sweatshirt and tight brown pants covered in frost. His blue eyes were full of fun and a sense of victory in them. He shook his white hair out of his eyes.

"Frost, this was the perfect first day of spring! Do you know how long it will take for spring to come back because of you?" I demanded.

"I thought it was a perfect day for a snow day," he replied cheekily.

"Oh, that's it," I huffed, and then I went straight for him. Jack's smile quickly faded. I was a foot away from him when I waved the Sun Scepter.

"Hey!" he protested. He looked down to find pink and purple flowers starting to grow on his sweatshirt. I swished it again, but he dodged it and pointed his staff towards me. A blast of snow came plummeting towards me. It hit me and I fell over me. I got up, brushed the snow from me and waved the scepter. He used his staff. There was a full out battle for five minutes.

By the end of it, where he stood, there were birds everywhere, green grass and flowers blooming, and the scent of spring waifing , and where I stood, it looked like a blizzard ravaged through that half of the town.

I flew to where he stood, inches away, "Next time, don't interfere with spring! I'll be back in three weeks, and it. better. be. thawing," I poked him in the chest with every emphasis of the words. "You need to warm up a little to see when spring is needed!" I raised my hand to hit him, when he raised his as well

" Maybe, you need to cool down," He put his hand on mine, and I felt a chill go through me. My hair turned back to a pale yellow. "Just so you know, I'm a Guardian now. Don't threaten me like that again. " Jack said.

"Since when?" I asked incredulously.

"Since last year. Where were you?" he said cockily.

"Hmph," was all I said. I waved the scepter like a lasso and started the thawing process. I flew off in a huff, probably raising the temperature in every town I past.

Jack, a guardian? I never saw that coming, that's for sure. Does that mean children could see our battle? I flushed in anger, am I the only legend that couldn't be seen?

* * *

"Jack Frost is a nuisance, isn't he?" A black figure appeared in the air before me. I stopped flying.

"Pitch?" I asked, raising my scepter defensively.

"My younger brother was an idiot. No, I'm not Pitch. I'm far more superior. My name is Plague, Black Plague," he materialized in front of me, bowing.

"What do you want?" I asked, thrusting my scepter towards Plague. He vanished and reappeared next to me.

"I just wanted to see if you'd like to join me, you see, no one believes in me, either," Plague said, filled with bitterness.

"I'd rather not, didn't the Black Plague kill thousands of innocent people?"

"Yes, rather unfortunate. But, sometimes but you gotta do what you gotta do, do you agree?" he said smoothly. I almost felt like agreeing, he said it so silkily, but I shook my head.

"No, I don't want to join you. Leave me!" I waved my scepter like a lasso and shot down to my home.

Plague was gone, but I could still smell the scent of death and his cold presence. I shuddered.

No way I would ever join him. I started to sing to birds in a nearby tree when a black wisp of smoke came into my vision. Before I knew what was going on, I passed out. My last thought: Plague.

**Please REVIEW ****your thoughts. Thanks! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Holy cow, guys! I didn't even imagine this would be so popular! Thanks, and please: Review! I got one comment on it being too long. My goal for a normal chapter is 1,000 words, but as the first one was an introduction, I made it a little more lengthy. Enjoy!**

* * *

Three weeks had past quickly. Jack hung around his hometown sulkily watching the snow melt.

Where was the Easter Bunny's pet? Jack thought. He smiled, funny how the rabbit had a pet, and it wasn't reversed.

School had just adjourned, and he spotted Jamie walking with his group of friends. They didn't seem very happy.

"Is spring ever going to come?" They were complaining.

"Hey, winter's great!" Jamie interjected.

"You don't even want spring a little bit?" Cupcake asked.

Jamie sighed and admitted, "Yeah, I do want spring to come. I want outdoor recess again!"

The children agreed merrily and discussed what they would do the first outdoor recess. Jack watched them head home, resisting the urge to start a snowball fight with the little snow that was left.

So, kids did like Persephone, or at least, what she brought. This wasn't like her at all. She would have been here exactly when the three weeks ended, ready to rub spring in his face. He frowned slightly. Was she trying to prove a point? Without spring people would be miserable? Jack took off, leaving a cold breeze behind him. He was headed for Nebraska to find out what was going on with Persephone. He had to make himself admit, he was worried about her.

The Northern Lights appeared in the sky. Jack sighed, Guardian duty first, Persephone later. He took the opposite direction- to the North Pole.

* * *

North was doubting himself. It could be nothing, what he saw. But, last time he called the Guardians together when it could have been nothing, it turned out that it was worse than something, it was Pitch. He activated the Northern Lights and went to the Guardian meeting place.

What he saw was frightening, even for him. North flexed his forearms, observing his "Naughty" and "Nice" tattoos move. The Guardians could handle this- if it was anything. The globe had turned black, very much like when Pitch had invaded his workshop, only an even darker, larger figure appeared out of it. It wasn't Pitch's black sand, either. It was an ebony, sickly looking vapor. Several of his yetis had passed out because of it. North shuddered, if it could knock out his giant assistants, he didn't want to imagine what else it could do.

Tooth arrived first, followed by Sandy. Tooth's eyes were red from crying and Sandy looked downtrodden.

"What is it, Tooth?" North asked, his Russian accented voice in distress.

"Three of m-my fairies!" She said, sniffling.

"What about them?" North questioned with sympathy.

Sandy made a grave stone above his head using his magic sand. It was one of the darkest images he'd ever made.

"What?" North roared, "How could this have happened?"

"There was this... vapor. It appeared and killed three of my fairies. There was this horrible laugh and it just... disappeared," Tooth began to cry again.

Jack flew in through the open window, "Whoah, what's going on?"

"Oh, Jack! Something awful is going to happen!" the tooth fairy exclaimed. She flitted next to him. Jack put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Is it Pitch?" An Australian voice came from behind them. There stood the Easter Bunny. The hole he came up from slowly disappeared, leaving a flower in its place.

North rolled his eyes, "Did you have to come directly into the workshop?"

"Yes, it's too cold out there for this bunny," was the tart reply.

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" Jack demanded, "Not that I don't want to be here, but I've got other things to do, you know."

"A new threat has come, Jack," North said.

"You don't think it's Pitch?" Tooth questioned.

"No, Pitch is trapped in his own fear and won't be able to get out in a long time. I feel it in my belly," North put his hands on his belly and jiggled it. Sandy rolled his eyes.

"How do you know about this threat, because no offense to your belly, but there's got to be more reasoning than it feeling the threat," Jack said caustically.

"Never question the belly, Jack. But since you asked, three of Tooth's fairies are dead, and my yetis were knocked out because of a strange gas that entered our domains," North said solemnly.

The Guardians were silenced when the room was filled with a bright ray of moonlight.

"Man in the Moon, what's happening? Why did my fairies die? What should we do?" the Tooth Fairy asked rapidly.

In reply, "Manny", as North called him, made a large moonstone appear.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jack asked, confused.

"It means... another Guardian," North said, equally confused, "But who?"

Again, the Man in the Moon replied. The moonlight changed shape into who the guardian should be.

"Persephone?" Tooth said in surprise. She didn't seem too happy, glancing to see Jack's reaction.

"Well, she won't be pleased after what I did," Jack said,frowning slightly.

"Did you upset Sheila?" Bunny said threateningly. He had been calling her that since they had met and he was very protective of her. Persephone and Bunnymund sometimes worked together to make spring early and in essence, bother Jack.

"She wanted the first day of spring, I wanted a snow day, that's all," the white haired boy said hastily.

"But, why Persephone? Why another Guardian? We don't know if we need her yet. We don't know who the threat is," Tooth chipped in.

Sandy's magic dust was going crazy above his head.

"One thought at a time, Sandy," North said.

The Sandman made a question mark.

"Who's Persephone? Oh, she brings the first day of spring and helps keep spring and summer warm," North explained.

Jack bit his upper lip. He didn't want to bring up that Persephone might be missing.

"What is it, Jack?" the Tooth Fairy noticed his nervousness.

Jack shifted from foot to foot, "Persephone may or may not be missing..."

"What? We need to find her immediately, then!" Bunnymund said,already thumping the ground to make a tunnel.

North nodded, "Our threat could have captured her."

A sinister laugh came from nowhere, "You're too late, and you'll never find her."

Tooth held her fairies close to her. Jack raised his staff threateningly.

"Coward," North spat, "Show yourself."

"You know, I don't think I will," the villain said with twisted delight.

"Where are you keeping her?" Bunny demanded, pulling out his boomerangs.

The sickly black vapor filled the room with the sound of the bone chilling maniacal laughter. Jack froze the vapor before it could reach the Guardians, but when he put his staff down, he looked a little groggy.

"We have to find her," Jack said.

**REVIEW. :) The next chapter will be back in the perspective of Persephone! **


	3. Surprise!

**Hey guys! I've decided that I will not be continuing this story. :( But, YOU ARE! **

**Oh, snap! You read right. I've set up a good story idea and character (according to your reviews) and to be honest, I just don't have time to continue it if I want it to be quality writing. So, I'm proposing a competition! Here are the rules: **

_It must be K-K+. _

_Only the first 10 entries will be accepted. To enter, write the next chapter of the story, publish it (giving credit where credit is due), and PM me the link. Continue the story and PM me when it's finished. _

_It can be as long as you want, just keep in mind I have up to ten of these to read. _

_Pick up the story where it started. Persephone is kidnapped by Plague and the Guardians are going to try and rescue her. It should be in Persephone's perspective for the first chapter you write. After that, you can switch to third person if you want. No other perspective. (Ex. Perspective of Jack). _

_There will be 4 awards: _

_1st or "Best All-Around"- The one I love the most: it portrays the spirit and magic of Rise of the Guardians, develops Persephone's character, and all ages would enjoy it. _

_Runner Ups or Category Winners: _

_Most Creative: The author does an outstanding job in taking the story to a level that was unexpected or unique. (Twists and Turns or an idea that was fantastically original) _

_Best Humor: Let's just face it: You loved ROTG because of Jack's sarcastic and witty humor, and the battles between The Easter Bunny and Jack. This author captured that in his or her's writing. This also includes Persephone/Jack battles._

_Most Emotional: This can be thought provoking, romantic, or angst/sadness. The author makes the reader __**feel**__ something, whether it's tears or a giant AWWW! moment. I'd love to see it happen with Persephone. _

**So, that's basically it! Entries are due by January 6th, 2013. I will post all the entries with their authors in a chapter named "Entries" (big surprise there). That way, people can read them and maybe nominate a story for Category Winners. If you have any questions you can PM me or drop it in a review. If you're stuck in writing, I would be happy to help! Just PM me. I hope I covered everything well. Go my friends! WRITE WRITE WRITE! **

**~Cartega**


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